The NFL Draft

First and foremost, the Yankees suck. I told you so.

Does anyone else feel as if the NFL draft being televised is absolutely useless? Yesterday, the first day of the draft, it was on TV for 5 hours. I will repeat that. 5 HOURS. All the draft is, is watching teams pick the players they want for their team. But it isn't fun like when captains pick teams for pick-up games in the schoolyard. Every pick in the first two rounds takes 15 minutes.

Before the draft even begins, for weeks and months, "experts" on ESPN analyze which player will be picked at which time by a certain team. But that's all speculation. And do you know what happens once the draft has begun and teams start picking players? The SAME experts analyze the picks that have been made, and speculate once again as to how well each player will do in the NFL.

Can you believe that people actually sit and watch this stuff for hours on end? Don't get me wrong, I love football. I can't play for the life of me, but I love to watch. But these draft shows are utterly useless. Nothing matters until the players take the field.

Some of the best players in the league are players who didn't get drafted (i.e. Tony Romo). And some of the worst players in the league, or players who quit because they couldn't quite cut it in the league, are ones who were drafted in the first round of the draft (i.e. Tony Mandarich, also known as the Incredible Bust).

Josh Beckett

As of right now on Espn.com's Sportsnation poll, 49% of the almost 80,000 people that voted think that Josh Beckett was punished too harshly for alleged throwing at Bobby Abreu's head during a game. The punishment Beckett invoked was a 6-game suspension and an undisclosed fine.

I want everyone reading this to keep in mind that starting pitchers pitch once every five games. Also keep in mind that Abreu had called time-out as Beckett was winding up to pitch. It is very unhealthy and sometimes dangerous for pitches to stop their motion once they've started, so Beckett might very well have just let go of the pitched and it sailed. No, I'm not trying to cover for Beckett, nor do I like him very much at all (since he's on the Red Sox). But I do know that he's a very talented pitcher, and that he has never hit anyone in the head with a pitch before.

So, the pitch was accidental, but the league wants to let Beckett know that he can't let it happen again. Especially since that pitch led to both benches clearing.

Another reason for the punishment was that Beckett took "aggressive" actions during the bench clearing incident. So it wasn't only the pitch.

Did you remember what i said about the five day rotation for starting pitchers? Good. because effectively, Beckett is only being suspended for two games. He's not on the field everyday. During his suspension he will be in the same place as his off days, on the bench, waiting for his next start.

The Yankees

The Yankees will not make the playoffs. I am a Yankee fan, and I know the Yankees will NOT make the playoffs. They can do whatever they want. Buy whatever players they will "need," it won't work. The key to any team sport is chemistry. The Yankees don't have it. You can bitch and moan about how good the players they picked up are. You can bitch about how I'm no longer a Yankee fan. I will always root for the Yankees. I will support what they do, and the players they buy, but I do not think their acquisitions will pay the dividends they expect.

While on the subject of buying players. To all of you managers and owners who cry about the Yankees having an unfair advantage with the money they have, that there should be a salary cap: You're wrong.

The Yankees play in the biggest market in baseball and have built up their franchise as such to make money. To not spend the money they make is preposterous. If your team had the kind of money the Yankees did, were struggling to make the playoffs and win championships, and were NOT doing everything in their power to try and improve, would you not be angry?

I know I kind of contradict myself. I just don't think the Yankees are making the RIGHT decisions. I'm not here to tell you what the right decisions will be for the team. But I know that the decisions the Yankees are making, are the wrong ones.

Told you so

Tiger won in dramatic fashion two nights ago. He always amazes me how he actually does it. But somehow I'm not surprised. Didn't I tell you he'd be back?

Does Anyone Care?

The NIT basketball tournament. It's the NCAA men's basketball tournament that ISN'T march madness. It is basically made up of all the teams that did not make it into the NCAA tournament. And if you think about it, it's the best of the second best. The teams that didn't quite cut it, now getting their shot at "glory."

But who really wants to win the NIT? I mean I'm sure if I was on one of the teams I would play my hardest and try my best during every play. But if my team wins, no one will remember. No one outside of Virginia Tech fans will remember their marathon two-overtime game win over Duquesne. No one will remember Stephen Curry and Davidson losing in the second round of the NIT. But many will remember the Curry-led cinderella run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament last year.

It's always good to want to win. Every player should always WANT to win. But let's say you do win the NIT tournament. Do you celebrate? Are you really happy? And if you do win, aren't you still just a team that failed to be good enough?

Who cares about the "next"?

Speaking of golf, ever since Tiger Woods emerged as the best golfer, everyone has been speculating who will be the "next" Tiger. My response?

Who cares? Even after playing one tournament in ten months (and that one being on a bum knee...AND he won), Tiger is still the number one golfer in the world. He is not over the hill. He is not going to lose his talent because of the knee surgery he had after last year's U.S. Open. He will break every major golf record (Major wins and tournament wins) with ease. So please, stop asking who will be the next Tiger.

Tiger will be the best golfer in the world for a long time. He has one legitimate rival in Phil Mickelson. I say that because no one else has proven themselves against Tiger over an extended period of time. It's a two-horse race.

But Tiger is still in his prime. And even if he wasn't, he's still better than most of the players on Tour. So let Tiger be Tiger. Don't go searching for the "next" Tiger, while we still have the original right in front of us. And he's not going anywhere.

And to all of you who watched Tiger finished T-9 at his first stroke play tournament since the Open, don't despair. The only that separated Tiger from his finish and winning, was his putting. And putting is more about feel than anything else in golf. Tiger just hasn't gotten back in the "feel" of putting yet. And that comes with experience. So it might take him a few tournaments to really get back in the "swing" of things, but rest assured, he'll get back to being Tiger again. And it will be sooner rather than later.

The Golf Season Begins

So the golf season for Westhill began yesterday, and I honestly couldn't be more excited. Yes, I love golf. Yes, I know, I'm a loser. I know you don't think it's a real sport, but while we're talking about it, I'd like to see you hit a tiny ball into a hole hundreds of yards away in four tries or less (here's how it got invented).

....I'm waiting...........

No? Not your idea of fun? Well tough luck cause I love it, now be quiet and let me ramble.

How does Tiger Woods, or any professional golfer for that matter, do it?
They are so good at this game it really is unbelievable. When I have a great round I shoot around an 80. If a professional shot an 80, I think he might have an actual stroke (thanks for that joke, Robin Williams).

I am so excited about golf. I can't stop talking about it. Every time I start talking about it, it's like word vomit. And it really isn't like Pringles, the fun stops after about 5 seconds in the conversation. Hey, I'm rambling again. For your sake, I'll stop.